Prep notebook: Drake soccer team rallies late to tie Casa Grande

The Drake High soccer team has a bit of a buzz surrounding it this season — the look and feel of a team about to make a leap forward.

After opening the season on Tuesday with a win over Santa Rosa, the Pirates followed up that effort with a come-from-behind 2-2 tie at Red Hill Park on Thursday against a Casa Grande team that eliminated them from the North Coast Section playoffs last season.

"(Getting this result) really is important," Drake midfielder Ian Slaughter said. "Something that's even more important is the fact that we were down and had a really resilient last few minutes. ... It's a good sign that we have a team that's not going to give up."

After enjoying a long stretch with an edge in possession and a 1-0 lead, the Pirates (1-0-1) suddenly found themselves trailing after the Gauchos quickly grabbed the lead after scoring twice midway through the second half.

The Pirates were left with about 15 minutes to fashion a comeback. Drake coach Rene Ayala pushed Slaughter and Henry De Leon Signor farther up the field for the last 10 minutes in order to try find the equalizer. That move paid off in the 76th minute when Jace Bruner crossed a ball into the box and Brody Barkan slotted it home to tie the game. The goal was Barkan's fourth of the young season after netting a hat trick against Santa Rosa.

"If we were to continue the pattern of the last three years, (trailing late) is where we would have started to question each other and fall apart," Ayala said. "(This comeback) is the sign of a team that can compete. As coaches, this situation is something you can simulate in practice but it's not the same as seeing it in an actual game. It's encouraging to say the least."

After getting the equalizer, the Pirates continued to stream forward and almost came away with a victory following a nice move that started when Juan Rodas sent a ball down the sideline to Tcherepanov. He made a strong run before creating a chance by crossing the ball toward De Leon Signor, whose header went wide of the mark.

Still, the fact that the Pirates rallied for a tie against the team that eliminated them 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs last year had the team in a good mood.

"I'm really happy that everyone is able to work for each other," De Leon Signor said. "I'm proud of everybody who came back when the odds were against us."

Casa Grande (1-0-1) began the game with a flourish, looking dangerous in the attack for the first 15 minutes before the Pirates found their way into the game and started creating some chances for themselves.

The deadlock was broken in the 25th minute when Drake played a ball over the top of Casa's defense in the direction of Slaughter. Casa Grande goalie Jort Kuiphof — an exchange student from The Netherlands — came out to challenge for the ball, resulting in a huge collision between the two players. De Leon Signor beat Casa's defenders to the ball and fired a shot into the net for the game's first goal.

"(Slaughter) took the hit for me," De Leon Signor said. "I was there in the right place at the right time and took the shot."

Slaughter, who checked out of the game as a result of the clash and didn't return until the second half, was still on his back when he saw the ball find its way into the net.

"Someone played a through ball, I don't even remember who, but I tried to get there and poke it through (to De Leon Signor)," Slaughter said. "I took a knee to the chest then I looked up and saw Henry score and just stayed down."

Drake continued to look dangerous going forward during the early stages of the second half, with Rodas making strong runs down the right wing and Slaughter and De Leon Signor finding the forwards with perfectly weighted passes. But the game changed in the 58th minute when the Gauchos were awarded a penalty kick following a Drake hand ball inside the 18-yard box. Gravier Pacheco calmly kicked his penalty kick into the back of the net and suddenly the game was level. Casa Grande made the most of its opportunity, taking the lead in the 66th minute on a goal by Maury Lopez.

"We're very happy with the outcome," Casa Grande coach Greg Volker said. "We had a big game on Tuesday night, the Petaluma Derby (against Petaluma High). ... We fell behind (against Drake), went ahead but made one mistake but we are happy with it."

Honor roll

Soccer

• Terra Linda's Max Archer scored to help the Trojans (0-0-1) secure a 1-1 road tie against Montgomery on Tuesday. Montgomery, section finalists a year ago, are considered by some to be the favorites to win the section this season.

• Marin Academy's Noah Paravicini and Jason Oliver each scored twice in a 6-2 victory against Redwood on Wednesday. Patch Johanson and Stefan Jung also scored for the Wildcats (1-0-0).

• San Rafael's Angel Tolli scored to help lift the Bulldogs (1-0-0) to a season-opening 2-1 victory against Vintage.

Girls golf

• Madi Brown shot a 42 to claim medalist honors for San Marin in its league opener against Marin Catholic. The Mustangs won 214-265 at StoneTree (par 35).

• Redwood's Mia Poynor shot a 36 to lead the Giants to a 172-184 victory over Drake at McInnis (par 31).